Isolation
by TheNightshade43
Summary: When a virus known as Psycheout starts infecting the team, it's up to Bumblebee and Prowl to babysit the base. Can they bond, or will the paranoia of a lingering Decepticon tear them into a world of delusion and lies?


The day was warm, almost unnaturally warm in the light of it being Winter.  
Prowl was up already, though wanted some peace and quiet. Unfortunately for him the sounds of yelling forced him to get up and investigate.  
He expected Bumblebee to the catalyst for the latest bout of insanity, but was surprised to see him yawning and rubbing an optic as he walked past the Cyberninja.  
"What's that noise?" He asked, grogginess still in his voice.  
Prowl walked with him, though didn't answer.

In the communication room, where the yells were heard, they were met with the sight of Optimus Prime and Ratchet talking to the Elite Guard through the communicator.  
A blur of white and black dashed past the screen, cackling with a wild air.  
"Was that Jazz?" Bumblebee asked, awestruck.  
"Was that. . .a spatula?" Prowl asked, equally baffled by the scenario before them.  
**"JAZZ!" **Sentinel's voice rung through the communicator as he ran past on the ship. **"Get back here right now and drop that spatula!"**  
"Never!" The Elite Ninja's normally smooth voice sounded grated as he hissed, actually _hissed_, at his superior. Ultra Magnus hooked in footage of the next room, show casing the sight of the white and black Autobot perched on a shelf, brandishing a tiny spatula like it was a sword. "With this sword, I'll conquer this ship, and then, the world!"

"As you can see," Ultra Magnus' voice cut in as official and regal as always, the virus can cause elaborate delusions. And it is quite contagious. If any of your crew are experiencing any symptoms bring them to the ship. We have the patches to cure the virus, though it will take a few solar cycles to calibrate successfully."  
As his Commander spoke Sentinel attempted to move in closer to the raving Cyberninja.  
"Easy Jazz, " he took out a pair of stasis cuffs like one would to capture a dangerous wild animal, "we're going to take this nice and slow. Why don't we visit the medbay, and-"  
His speech was interrupted when Jazz took out a nunchuck, did a flip over the large mech's head, and gave it a whack to boot, "-ack!" With Sentinel momentarily stunned the black and white mech bolted further into the base.  
"You'll never take me alive!" He declared with a deranged, mad sense of glee.  
Ultra Magnus removed the seperate screen, and stood.  
"I'll contact you when there's an update, Ultra Magnus out."  
The comminucation was severed, leaving the Autobots stunned.

Prowl heard their leader sigh to himself, no doubt a little overwhelmed by the situation. That or he was just as stunned at the sight of Jazz acting like a super villain.  
That sight was something Prowl _never_ wanted to see again.  
"Right!" Optimus' voice went into boss mode as he turned to face the others, "You know of Psycheout, don't you?"  
Ratchet kept silent, though knowledge of the virus was easy to see in his optics as he crossed his arms in amusement. Whatever it was didn't seem fatal, otherwise the Medic would show more concern.  
"It causes those infected to suffer from overheating, system crashes and personality changes." Prowl offered. He knew the basics, at least.  
"Wait, if it's from Cybertron, then what's it doing on Earth?" Bumblebee cut in, not wanting to feel left out.  
"I have a feeling the Elite Guard contracted it when on their tour," Optimus offered, "if we passed it to them we would have shown symptoms already."  
Ratchet stepped forward.  
"Well, we're better get the scans started. Bulkhead worked closest with Jazz recently, so. . .ah, where is that big lug?"  
It hadn't occurred to the others that the large mech wasn't in the room until they actually looked around.

Their answer came in the form of the loudest clang they had ever heard, making all four Autobots jump. Without a word they all ran out of the room and headed for the training area, where the sound had originated.  
What they saw topped Jazz's performance. In spades.  
The ordinarily placid, if not clumsy, Autobot was now in the middle of effectively demolishing the room, making roars of rage as his wrecking ball appendages went to work, destroying items left and right as he charged at unseen threats.  
If that wasn't a clear sign of infection, his narrowed optics were brighter than usual. It could have been the virus. It could have been the rage. It was hard to tell.  
They all pounced on their delusional comrade, trying to pin him. To their credit they seemed to slow him down. A little. Bumblebee was the first to be flung off, unable to grip on when the mech shook with rage.  
Then Prowl when Bulkhead decided to pry him off and throw him against the wall.  
Prime and Ratchet were still hanging on, trying to trip him up and confuse him.  
"Dinobot **smash** annoying robots!" Bulkhead bellowed with fury, ready to turn his attention to Optimus, and from the expression he had it was clear things wouldn't end well if things didn't stop soon.  
Bumblebee did the only thing his instinct told him to do. He jumped up, ran up to the lumbering mech, puffed up his chest and let out the loudest, drawn out roar he could manage.  
Bulkhead's head snapped down to the source of the roar, and saw the tiny mech. The yellow and black mech was threatening _him_?  
Ratchet took advantage of the mech's stunned silence and activated his EMP generator before the mech could retaliate with his own roar, or worse, and pressed it to the large mech's head and activating it. Bulkhead flinched, before falling back, both Ratchet and Optimus backed off before they could be pinned.  
They all stared at the speedster, who stared back at them.  
"What? It made him stop, didn't it?"

After that. . .event, they worked together, fashioning a carrying device to help them bring their large comrade on the Elite Guard's ship. Ratchet had plenty of medical tools, but no cure.  
Optimus and Ratchet had chains attached to their alt modes to carry the floating device, and eased out of the base. Once at the entrance he halted.  
"Prowl, Bumblebee, I need you two to secure the base while we're gone. We won't be long, but there could be a chance the Decepticons could attack. Or another All Spark fragment could activate."  
Both were hesitant to remain behind for different reasons, though it was Prowl that spoke up.  
"You don't need us in case Bulkhead onlines?"  
"At the dose I gave him I don't think he's getting up any time soon." Ratchet replied. "Besides, it'd be less conspicuous if we _all_ didn't go at once."  
Both Cyberninja and Speedster watched on as their friend was transported away, wondering what they should do now. 


End file.
